The British School

Lasting Impressions

The cultural experience was one that I will treasure forever. The immersion into a different way

of living is something you cannot get elsewhere. I gained so much confidence and curiosity as

well as a greater understanding of colonial Britain and our wider impact on the world. The

experience has confirmed my interest in international law and allowed me to appreciate all the

opportunities that I have been given.

Practical Advice

Go with an open mind and a willingness to learn but also do not be afraid to ask for time off/ different food/ new timetables as the uni will be very accommodating. You will have to get used

to lots of insects, dust and bucket showers but it is worth it for the experience you will get.

Sara Hoyer, St.Hugh's College, BA Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics, First

Year Undergraduate, remote working

Work Projects

I participated in a two-week remote

internship with The British School, New

Delhi. The internship would have normally

taken place in person and for a longer period

of time, but adjustments had to be made

due to the pandemic. Together with 2 other interns, my role was to work with the grade 13

students who are planning to apply to universities in the UK, and help them with their personal

statements, university choices, and any questions they might have about the application

process and life in the UK. Additionally, we prepared several presentations for students of

grades 9-12, who will be applying to universities in a few years, to give them an overview of

student life in the UK.

More specifically, the schedule was organised so that I met with 3 students a day, for 45

minutes each. Ideally, they should have sent me their personal statement drafts before the

meeting, so that I would have had time to read and comment on it. Then, we talked about

these comments, and I explained what I would change, and the students could ask questions

about it. For students who didn’t have a draft yet, we brainstormed ideas of what they might include and how they might structure it. Additionally, the students had a lot of questions about

student life in the UK, living at university, academics, social life, and much more. For Oxbridge

applicants, I also explained how to best decide on a college and how to prepare for interviews.

I also did mock interviews with students who expected to be interviewed by their universities.

After the meeting times, I read some more personal statements and did research on courses

and universities for those whose questions I wasn’t able to answer fully. I also met with the other interns to decide how to structure the presentations we were preparing for the other

grades.

The support I received from The British School

was constant and helpful. Firstly, they were

willing to adapt to the Covid-19 situation and

move the internship online, and were able to

organise all the meetings remotely with no

technical issues. We received an induction

meeting and many e-mails explaining our roles

and tasks. Whenever I asked a question, the

team was quick and helpful in responding. Thanks to their communication and support, I felt

well-prepared and organised, and was able to provide help to the students. When something

didn’t go according to plan, for example, a student missed their time slot, the British School team was quick to help me rearrange the schedule and reach out to the person. Of course, I am

also grateful for this being a paid internship. Overall, the school provided professional and

inspiring support to its interns.

Daily Life

Due to the time difference between Europe and

India, most of my student meetings took place in

the afternoon, so I didn’t have to worry about

getting up early, and so my mornings were fairly

relaxed. I usually began my work by reading the

personal statements I had been sent that morning

or the night before, starting with the ones that I would be discussing that day. While reading, I

commented on aspects of the text that I thought could be rephrased or changed, including

stylistic and grammatical choices, but also more general content, tone, and overall structure of

the personal statement. Sometimes, I included a separate section just for comments on

structure, to show the student how the order of paragraphs might seem more logical if they

have switched them around a bit.

But overall, the personal statements I received were all very well-written and the students all

had many impressive achievements to include, so I was confident that they would have had

very strong applications even without any help. From 3.45pm to 6.30pm IST, I had 3 meetings

with grade 13 students. If they had sent me their personal statement in advance, I shared my

screen and went through all the comments I had made, explaining how something could be

changed or why I thought a certain phrasing wasn’t quite right. I also made sure to explain that these are just my comments, and the students should decide for themselves how much they

want to modify or leave as it is.

In some cases, students didn’t have their first draft yet, so we just talked about different things they might want to include, and how the personal statement could be structured. Three times

during the internship, we had an extra meeting in the morning, where we gave a presentation

about student life in the UK and UCAS applications, to grades 9, 11 and 12. I was surprised at

how early the students there start thinking about their university applications, and were

already asking about how to improve their portfolios. Those presentations were also a good

way to get to know the other interns a bit, as due to the remote nature of the internship, we

didn’t really get many chances to talk. Outside of the internship, I still had enough time for

other daily activities, and the workload wasn't overwhelming or stressful. The situation in my

home was quite helpful, since I had my own room in which I could close the door and not be

disturbed during meetings. I just had to let my family know at what time I would be free so we

could plan activities accordingly.

Lasting Impressions

My experience during this internship was very enjoyable, for a multitude of reasons. Most

importantly, I enjoyed being able to give support and advice to students applying to university,

as I had been in that same situation not long ago. As an international student, I know how

stressful and new this process can be, and how confusing it is to try to research all the

universities and their requirements, write personal statements, prepare for interviews and still

manage your school work. Some of the students told me that I really helped them, and that was

extremely rewarding to hear.

Personally, I also think I learned a lot from the experience, even if it isn't directly related to my

current studies. I improved my communication skills and my confidence to share my knowledge

and opinions. Reading and commenting on many personal statements likely made me more

detail-oriented, a better problem-solver, and a more accurate reader, and might be helpful

when writing my own essays, papers, and reports in the future. I also think that talking about

my life as a student and giving presentations about UCAS applications has improved my public

speaking and teamwork skills. I enjoyed working with the other interns, and would consider

working more in teams in the future.

In terms of my career ambitions, I had never planned to work in a school, but I seriously had fun

helping these students, and so perhaps I might get more involved in similar projects in the

future. I am definitely interested in exploring ways to support secondary school students from

different countries who are planning to study in the UK, as I think students from all nationalities

and backgrounds should get the same educational opportunities, even if they don't have such a

supportive careers team as the British School in New Delhi. Therefore, I think the internship

inspired me to look into more placements in this field in the future.

Practical Advice

I would advise any future interns to apply to any

internship that they think look interesting

because there is really nothing to lose. Even if

you think there will be too many applicants, or

you might not perfectly fit into the requirements,

you never know until you try. Be enthusiastic in

your application and mention any experiences that might be relevant to the internship, even if

it seems insignificant at first. I also recommend applying for summer internships outside of the

UK, in countries that you are interested in visiting, because there will likely be time outside

work hours to travel around the region. Do ask your college or department for extra funding if

the internship isn’t already funded. Of course, you will need to prepare everything you would prepare for any trip, such as having a valid passport, a visa, all your flight information, and

necessary vaccinations. Do communicate with the organisation, and reach out to them if you

have any questions, and they are likely to help you with a lot of the practical preparations.

Once you are there, use the time to socialise with your fellow interns and explore the country

together, and also take the time to really enjoy your work there. Even if it seems stressful at

times, it will likely be extremely rewarding and might be helpful in deciding your future career

plans. Also, if you are applying for the first time, don't worry if the internship doesn't exactly

align with your studies or career plans - any internship will teach you valuable skills, and you

may discover new interests while you are there. And any job or internship will be an

opportunity to enrich your CV and develop your network of friends and colleagues in different

sectors.